Rai bosses defend French election coverage

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 12 - Rai CEO Roberto Sergio and Director General Giampaolo Rossi on Friday defended the State broadcaster's coverage of the second round of France's parliamentary elections last weekend, amid a row over news channel Rainews24's allegedly failure to give sufficient attention to a left-wing alliance coming first.
    "The attention and commitment with which Rai journalists followed last week's French elections, just as they follow major current events on a daily basis, from Ukraine to Israel, are proof of how the public-service broadcaster is faithful to its task of informing the public and providing tools to interpret our times, regardless of pointless, specious polemics," Sergio and Rossi said.
    "Our recognition and that of the company goes to Rai's journalists and all those who contribute to the quality and success of Rai's news".
    The opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) said it was outrageous that a live broadcast from a local festival had taken precedence over the French elections in a news bulletin on Sunday evening and called on Rainews24 Director Paolo Petrecca to quit.
    "Rainews24's alibi is fake: on the channel directed by Petrecca, the French elections were outclassed by a provincial festival of which, lo and behold, the director himself was a guest at," said PD media chief Sandro Ruotolo.
    "Petrecca must resign, this is just the latest one of his mistakes, which have led the editorial team to lose trust in him.
    "We thank 'Telemeloni' for showing us every day that the reform of Rai governance can no longer be postponed". (ANSA).